April arrives like a long-awaited exhale here at Food Gardening Network—softening the edges of winter and filling every corner of the garden (and our imaginations) with color, motion, and possibility. After months of muted landscapes and seed catalogs spread across the kitchen table, the world outside is finally catching up to everything we’ve been dreaming about. Fresh green shoots push through the soil, tulips and dandelions dot the yard in cheerful bursts of color, and the air hums with the songs of returning birds. READ MORE
Protein and the Balance of Macros When we talk about nutrition, three main players—carbohydrates, fats, and proteins—make up the “macronutrient” team. Carbohydrates fuel our bodies with energy. Fats help us absorb vitamins and keep our cells healthy. Protein, however, is the builder. It repairs tissues, fuels muscle growth, supports immunity, and even makes up the… READ MORE
Why Grow Protein-Rich Crops? Plant proteins are more than just “meat replacements.” They’re full of fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals that animal proteins don’t provide. Best of all, many protein-rich fruits and vegetables are garden-friendly—whether you’re tending raised beds, containers, or an in-ground patch of soil. The following 25 crops are among the best sources… READ MORE
There's something quietly thrilling about those first April mornings in the garden. After what feels like an endless winter of thumbing through seed catalogs and sketching garden plans on scraps of paper, the soil is finally starting to wake up. I find myself walking the garden beds each morning, tea in hand, checking soil temperatures… READ MORE
I'll admit it - I get a touch of garden envy scrolling through social media in April, watching you lucky zone 7-8 gardeners already digging in your sun-warmed soil. While I'm still checking frost forecasts and babying seedlings on windowsills, you're out there planting tomatoes and watching your pea vines climb. Must be nice, right?… READ MORE
I have to chuckle when I hear you zone 9-10 gardeners talking about your "spring" gardens in April. Let's be honest - you've been at this for months already, haven't you? While the rest of us were still shoveling snow, you were harvesting tomatoes and tending to your winter crops. April for you isn't so… READ MORE
If you’re looking for a return on your gardening investment, it doesn’t get much better than asparagus. Plant this vegetable one time and you could find yourself harvesting asparagus for up to 30 years! READ MORE
Rhubarb takes almost no effort to grow, and this perennial plant will give you tart, tender stalks for years. There’s just one thing you need to know about first: dividing rhubarb. We’ll get to that in just a moment, but first it’s worth a reminder that, while rhubarb stalks lend a lovely tang to pies… READ MORE
If you've ever marveled at wild mushrooms popping up after rain, you might be surprised to learn that you can create that same magic at home - no enchanted forest required! Unlike the sun-loving tomatoes and peppers in your garden, mushrooms are the mysterious homebodies of the food world, preferring dark, cozy corners where they… READ MORE
There are dozens of varieties of carrots you can grow in different shapes, sizes, and colors. They're a great snack. You can cook them up as a side dish or grate them and add them to a quesadilla. You can pickle them or turn them into Carrot Cake. Just one problem: they grow underground, so we're often left wondering how to know when carrots are ready to harvest. READ MORE
\With about 4,000 varieties of potatoes and 7,000 varieties of sweet potatoes, we’ll help you narrow down your list with a look at some of the most popular varieties that make growing potatoes and sweet potatoes easy, so you can have a delicious harvest! It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the possible choices, so we’ll help you choose the best potatoes to grow in your garden. READ MORE
Discover how to grow a bountiful vegetable garden, from planting your first seed to bringing fresh produce to your table, with our comprehensive guide designed for both novice and experienced gardeners. READ MORE
Since you can still get some frost in April, always make sure whatever you’re planting is frost-tolerant, or simply wait until the end of the month. In terms of coming up with a list of things to plant in April, there are many, but the list below includes five specific vegetables and fruits that can more or less only be planted in April because they don’t like the summer heat. READ MORE
Have you ever wondered why so much packaging these days proudly says that they are dye-free and why so many children's products only use natural dyes? It's because commercial dyes used to dye foods have a proven track-record for ill effects on humans. READ MORE
It seems like a myth that you can just chop the head or behind of a vegetable and it'll just start producing, but it's actually true. And depending on how much space you want to devote to this effort, you could grow a decent bounty of greens for soups and stocks with your veggie scraps. It's not very fast, but it's a lot of fun to do and kids get a kick out of it. Plus, if you're regrowing green onions, you'll have garnish for meals indefinitely. READ MORE
When I updated my garden from in-ground to raised beds, one thing became apparent very quickly—that I'd need to come up with a DIY irrigation system, which is something I know most gardeners realize, at some point. READ MORE
When I learned that this month's growables would be rosemary, asparagus and kumquats, I thought to myself: challenge accepted. Instead of picking one to create a scrumptious recipe for, I thought it would be even more fun to use all of them and see what I could come up with. READ MORE
You know those recipes that come into your life at exactly the right moment? That's how I discovered this Overnight French Toast Bake. It was during one particularly chaotic holiday season when my colleague Addie Gundry shared this gem with me. I was hosting family for Christmas,… READ MORE
You know how some flavor combinations just make perfect sense? Orange and cranberry are like that for me. Ever since I started making my own cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving (game-changer, by the way - the canned stuff doesn't even compare), I've been a little obsessed with how… READ MORE
You know those moments when you're staring into your morning cup of tea, and inspiration just hits? That's exactly how this London Fog French Toast came to be. I actually fell in love with the flavor and scent of the bergamot in Earl Grey tea many years… READ MORE
You know those moments of culinary inspiration that lead to your favorite recipes? That's exactly how my French Toast Eggs Benedict came to be. One Sunday morning, while prepping for a special brunch, I realized I was out of English muffins. With a beautiful loaf of brioche… READ MORE
If you've never had a Monte Cristo sandwich, I highly recommend giving it a try! I look for it on every breakfast menu in each and every diner I frequent, and always hip-hooray when it appears! First, though, you might be wondering what even is a Monte Cristo Sandwich? Legend says that the sandwich was… READ MORE
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